Creator Commentary: Baldwin the Brave

I've recorded Creator Commentary for all the short stories that appear in Baldwin the Brave and other Tales hardcover.

Many of these short stories were released for Free Comic Book Days and are short morality tales where the lesson of the story is being learned by a mouse we know as an adult in the main Mouse Guard series...what childhood story made Saxon Saxon or Kenzie Kenzie?

Here is the second video of that series with behind the scenes info, writing notes, and art details for: Baldwin the Brave

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/Xl-c98LTnlk

 A reading of this story is available here: Mouse Guard: Baldwin the Brave

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/6NIAVo7qfZI

Creator Commentary: The Wise Weaver

I've recorded Creator Commentary for all the short stories that appear in Baldwin the Brave and other Tales hardcover.

Many of these short stories were released for Free Comic Book Days and are short morality tales where the lesson of the story is being learned by a mouse we know as an adult in the main Mouse Guard series...what childhood story made Saxon Saxon or Kenzie Kenzie?

Here is the first video of that series with behind the scenes info, writing notes, and art details for: The Wise Weaver

Watch on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/FlTVSO3RtF0

A live reading of this story is available here: Mouse Guard: The Tale of the Wise Weaver  

Watch on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/aXXhVQcY250

1149 Map

 As I work on the Weasel War of 1149 (no release date yet––sorry) I have created a new era appropriate map for my own reference. Making maps for Mouse Guard is an enjoyable task where I not only get to make subtle differences with the cities listed, little adjustments in their placements, and shifting borders––I also get to play with a new aesthetic style, making sure this map is unique enough to justify making it instead of just digitally editing an older version. For this post, I'm sharing the results of that cartographic effort, but also in letting you all see the process to create it and an opportunity to own a print of the map even before the book is finished: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/product/map-of-the-mouse-territories-11x17-print

 The process starts with a digital version of a previous map where I then slightly alter the shoreline (an in-world factor of erosion and/or slight discrepancies with the survey or draftsmouseship of the cartographer). A new font is applied to all the city names as I also make adjustments to their placements (same reason as before). new pathways are digital drawn in and other aesthetics are considered, in this case the title treatment, scale key, and the compass rose. For the first time ever, I also mapped the waterways.

That digital layout version is then printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series bristol. In this case, it's a rather large piece: 24" x 12". On my Huion lightpad I inked the piece trying to be as accurate to the printout as I can be seeing it through the bristol while also adding in some nuance of imperfection, dings, and scratches. I inked this all with a Copic Multiliner SP pen (the 0.7 nib). It's also in this stage where I made the decision to add some texture to the water area with stippling around the shoreline. It added some depth and made it feel more complete and authentic.

When the inks were finished I scanned them and started the coloring process known as flatting. That's where you paint in the main color areas and establish where they are, like a professional version of coloring-in-the-lines. However, the larger part of color flatting this map was establishing color holds. Those are areas I want the inklines to be a color other than black...and every line on this thing qualifies. There are separate color holds for: the text, the shorelines, the stippled water, the pathways, the rivers borders, the dots and symbols and plaque on the map, and two for the compass. 

On a map, the rendering is less taxing of a task than on a full illustration. Rather than adding light and shadow to make a form feel three dimensional, this is more about adding subtle lights and darks with a textured brush to make it all feel more like an old hand printed and tinted map rather than a digital output.

As I mentioned at the start of the post, a version of this map is available as an 17" x 11" print in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/product/map-of-the-mouse-territories-11x17-print

Mouse Guard Coloring Book

I have released a new Mouse Guard coloring book! It is a 10" x 10" 96 page coloring book! This item is available EXCLUSIVELY through my online store and at conventions I attend:
http://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/product/mouse-guard-coloring-book

"Experience David Petersen's beloved comic series Mouse Guard with this lush coloring book. Featuring over 90 black and white illustrations showcasing the intricate detail of the environments, cities, and characters from across the Mouse Territories, readers of Mouse Guard and colorists alike can bring this world to life with th vivid colors of their imaginations."

Years ago the first coloring book we did with Archaia went out of print, and fans and the coloring book community have been asking all that time if or when we'd ever reprint or put out a new edition. Julia and I opted to do a new version with all new art not included in the original. 

We also went with a lay-flat binding option so that you can open the book to any page and have the book stay open without having to fight the page next to you closing or break the spine to stop it. 

Kestrel Archer

As I work toward a new sketchbook this year, I'll be doing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that will be included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' that will debut at Emerald City Comic Con and be available in my online store soon afterwards.

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's a Kestrel archer with a mouse helper. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

Leaning into the era of Mouse Guard before the Guard...when mice were in the employ of other beasts (see Jeremy Bastian's Legends of the Guard Vol 1) I wanted to show a bird using a weapon of its own as a mouse helper rode with it keeping arrows stocked.

I drew the kestrel based on photo reference (though I made anatomical adjustments to get the legs in the right position to draw back the bowstring) and then on another sheet of copy paper overlayed on the first drawing, I drew the mouse & bow. These were assembled in Photoshop where I dropped in some vector silhouettes of pine trees as background.

The digitally assembled pencil layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on the kestrel's feather pattern and on all those pine needle clusters. Originally my plan was to use the bird & mouse as a tee shirt design and to drop the pine branches away for the shirt, but ink them in so the original art looked more finished. I opted to not use this as a shirt (mouse was too small).

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started. The kestrel colors were referenced from the photo, but I certainly made hue, value, and saturation decisions with the base colors. The mouse colors were to echo the orange and grey-blue of the kestrel's head.

It's also at this stage that I established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) for the feather patterns, bow string, and the pine branches.

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. I also shifted colors a bit here or there either with a soft paintbrush or a feathered lasso and the color balance tool.

This illustration, along with many more, is in the sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts'
which is available in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Barkstone Approach

With the new sketchbook now available, I'm continuing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that are included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' available in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's Saxon, Kenzie and Lieam approaching Barkstone. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

One of the 'Past Whereabouts' I wanted to journey back to was that walkway up to the gates of Barkstone from Fall 1152. The location was based on a real tree behind the antique store I worked for when I started Mouse Guard. I still had reference photos to look at as I drew the tree and rotted root walkway. On another sheet of copy paper I drew the characters, and then in Photoshop assembled them all with some light color blocking while adding in a photo of the door reference from Fall as well as a stained glass window with references to 'strength' and 'home' I felt was appropriate for thiscity on the western edge of the mouse territories.

The digitally assembled layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on all that texture of the tree bark and fallen ground cover and debris. I tried to keep some of the tree bits open as well as to not flood the characters with too much line density so the eye has somewhere to rest.

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started. The colors were based on the colors from Fall, but darkened and muted down a bit. The door is much more red than it was in the Fall book––I wanted it to have a bit more identity and not just blend in as another shade of brown. 

At this stage I also established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) flag/banner design.

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. 

This illustration, along with many more, is in my NEW sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts' available in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Darkheather Weasel & Bat

With the new sketchbook now available, I'm continuing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that are included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' available in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's A weasel in Darkheather with a bat companion. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

In the epilogue for Winter 1152, I included a few panels showing a weasel in a boat in the distance with a candle on their head and a bat hanging from their arm like an upside-down falcon on a falconer's arm. I think I had a clever idea of what that was going to be some day for a future story––but for the life of me I can't remember what it was. No worries, I can still go back to it whenever I have a clever idea of how to tie it in.

The weasel, bat, and room were all drawn separately on sheets of copy paper and then digitally assembled. I was looking at reference for the bat, and certainly am referencing a photo of a Moorish tunnel room for the location (though I flooded it and added a boat)

The digitally assembled layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on the stippling of the stone bricks so the candle offered a bit of halo glow, but also so the tone of the background pushed the more open figures forward.

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started. I went with a very purple base (much like the Darkheather pages in Winter 1152) and shifted base colors of the weasel and bat in that direction too. 

It's also at this stage that I established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) for the cobweb shawl, candle glow, tile symbols on the staff, and the water ripples.

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. There was a lot of adjustment to color balance wherever the candle light would hit that had to be selected using a lasso tool with a soft feather.

This illustration, along with many more, is in my NEW sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts' available in my online store: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Marigold Print

Each Year I create a new limited edition signed and numbered 11" x 11" print. The tradition started many years ago when Julia urged me to create a new print for a convention or event that was 'just pretty'. She thought that we had plenty of images of mice wielding swords and threatening snakes and owls––that the audience, especially women, appreciated when I just drew tender moments, or nature, or flowers.  I followed her advice, and for years now fans have proven her right by anticipating and purchasing the new square print I offer annually.

This year the piece is titled 'Marigold'. Below I'll show the step-by-step of creating the art.

The last few years of botanicals have mostly been in the pinky-purple color range and my first inclination was to do a flower with some yellow or orange warmth, some sunshine for all of us mice. Then picked a Matriarch whose robes/cloak was in the blue range (contrasting color to orange) and saw Laria from the stained glass portraits from the Matriarch chamber in Black Axe as a perfect addition. I drew her on one sheet of copy paper, the marigolds (looking at reference) on another (with the shield),  and then the leaves on yet a third.

These were assembled in Photoshop and I did a fast color blocking to help me visualize the final as well as see the different shapes clearer in the next step.

I printed the digitally assembled layout/pencils and taped them to the back of a sheet of Strathmore 300 series bristol. On my Huion lightpad I was able to see through the surface of the bristol to the printout to use as a guide while I inked with a Copic Multiliner SP 0.7 nib pen.

Line weight in the marigold petals and her robes plated a big part in making the inks work and offsetting the areas where I did more fill-in or texture like on her hood, sleeves, cloak, and the rocks. I'd originally envisioned her hood being ringmail, but then decided to ink it more like it's a coarse knit or crochet texture. But in the end, I think it's still ambiguous. 

The inks were scanned and using the layout color blocking to pick from, I layed in flat colors. This first step of coloring is called 'flatting' for that reason, it's simply about establishing color areas with flat (not shaded, not textured) base colors. 

There were still several tweaks I needed to make to all these base colors in terms of hue, value, and saturation before I got to the flat version you see here. At this stage I also establish color holds (areas where I want the inks to be a color other than black) on her knit/mail, the shield design, the darker areas behind her, and the marigolds going off into the distance.

The last step was to render the colors. I used the dodge and burn tools in Photoshop with a stock textured brush to get all the lights and shadows. In a few placed I painted with the paintbrush tool (something I rarely use) to blend in the marigold buds that have not opened yet to have yellow tops.

The Marigold signed and numbered print debut at ECCC and is 

now available in my online store.

As this is the 15th year I've been doing these, here are the past year's 11x11 limited prints (many of which are available in a bundle in my online store) and links to blogposts for these pieces below

2012 Peacock

2013 Raspberry

2014 Moonflower

2015 Lavender

2016 Juniper

2017 Rose

2018 Elderberry

2019 Teasel

2020 Sharon

2021 Yarrow

2022 Pinecone

2023 Clematis
2024 Foxglove

2025 Belladonna

Ferret on Foxback

As I work toward a new sketchbook this year, I'll be doing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that will be included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' that will debut at Emerald City Comic Con and be available in my online store soon afterwards.

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's a ferret riding a fox facing a vulture. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

This one started by seeing a photo of a fox and a vulture squaring off. It occurred to me it wouldn't take much change for that to fit into my Mouse Guard world. I referenced the photo to get the fox and vulture (though I drew them separately so I could move them relative to one another for composition. I then added a ferret, wearing a similar crown to King Luthebon (is this one of his ancestors? decendants?) which was drawn on yet another sheet of copy paper

The drawings were all assembled digitally and color blocked (along with the debris and ground)

The digitally assembled pencil layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on those vulture feathers as well as the ground cover and debris being kicked up everywhere. Lots of chaos!

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started I went with realistic base colors for the fox and vulture  and decided this was an intense scene where the sky could be pink or red and tinted the animal base colors a bit accordingly.

It's also at this stage that I established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) on the distant background debris being kicked up.

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. I pushed the intense lighting behind the ferret and fox to help draw the viewer's eye where I wanted it.

This illustration, along with many more, will be published in the sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts' which will debut at Emerald City Comic Con in March 2026 and will be available in my online store soon afterwards: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Em of Appleloft

As I work toward a new sketchbook this year, I'll be doing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that will be included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' that will debut at Emerald City Comic Con and be available in my online store soon afterwards.

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's Em of Appleloft and a crow friend. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

I made a list of places to return for 'Past Whereabouts' and had Em of Appleloft at the top. I started with a drawing of the outside of her home, a balcony/air-dock-perch with an awning looking into the open knothole in an apple tree. I referenced my original drawings from The Black Axe volume as well as some photos of apple trees. On a new sheet of copy paper I drew em and a crow (based on photo reference).

These were all digitally assembled in photoshop with some color blocking to help identify the forms.

The digitally assembled pencil layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on making sense of all the organic shapes of the bark, the balcony bracing, the leaves, etc by trying to be careful with texture and line density differences. 

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started I pulled colors from the The Black Axe for Em and her clothing and the crow, but I was able to play with the browns, greens, and reds of the setting until the flats looked harmonious enough.

It's also at this stage that I established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) for Em's clothing embroidery, the leaf veins, and the speckles on the apples.

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. I also toyed with pushing the other leaves and apples back a bit by adding some lighting effects in the lower right corner.

This illustration, along with many more, will be published in the sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts' which will debut at Emerald City Comic Con in March 2026 and will be available in my online store soon afterwards: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/

Lillygrove Library Funeral

As I work toward a new sketchbook this year, I'll be doing a series of posts about Mouse Guard illustrations I've done that will be included in that new release: 'Past Whereabouts' that will debut at Emerald City Comic Con and be available in my online store soon afterwards.

Sketchbook illustrations are often a chance to explore corners of Mouse Guard that I haven't gotten to yet. Whether it's certain locations, characters, or just ideas or thematic tones. For this illustration it's a funeral in the Lillygrove Library. In this post I'll break down the steps to creating the illustration

After dusting off the Library Arch model for a recent Architectural Model Video (https://youtu.be/sqiKdE50BNc) I wanted to revisit that location for an illustration, and liked the idea of the sun streaming in, but also keeping the ghostly tone of when I showed the location in Legends of the Guard Vol 1 by setting a funeral there.

The location was drawn on a sheet of copy paper over the top of a composite photo of the model with and added design of the window (based on a tile pattern). Then the dead mouse and altar and flowers were drawn on another sheet, and the mouse paying respects on yet another sheet. They were all assembled in Photoshop (each tinted a different color) and a tone blocking to help me see where the light's edges were.

The digitally assembled pencil layout was printed out and taped to the back of a sheet of Strathmore Bristol and placed on a light pad. With the light shining up, I was able to see through the bristol surface to the printout to use as a guide as I ink the artwork. I used Copic Multiliner SP pens to do the inking (the 0.7 nib mostly)

The inking focus was on keeping the line weight and details spare in the stream of light, but much more dense the further in the corners everything was. There was still a lot of detail in the walls, mice, flowers, and books to worry about on top of those lighting concerns too.

With the inks scanned, the color flatting (painting areas of flat color to establish all the color areas) started. I pulled colors from the Legends of the Guard issue cover with this library for starters before shifting everything a bit darker and greener.

It's also at this stage that I established color holds (areas where I wanted the lineart to be a color other than black) for the window and the murals (as well as that one open book).

The last step was to render the colors with dodge and burn tools and a stock textured brush. Dodge and Burn are tools based on photography terms (and from when Photoshop was a photo retouching program) having to do with purposely over or under exposing areas––or in other words darkening or lightening them.

I use these tools to create shadows and highlights to my base colors while giving a bit of a pebbly texture with that stock brush. I also toyed with additional layers to help sell the beam of light streaming in and the cast tones from all the window glass on the floor and deceased Guardmouse.

This illustration, along with many more, will be published in the sketchbook 'Past Whereabouts' which will debut at Emerald City Comic Con in March 2026 and will be available in my online store soon afterwards: https://mouseguard.bigcartel.com/